New list for the National team brings back a lot of old names and shuns players that have been playing better than the ones called up. I get that the Brazilian league will not have started by the time this friendly takes place while Europe is currently showcasing their players. But that also could mean the team will look very different by the time the Confed Cup comes around and even more so by the World Cup. GK Julio Cesar Diego Alves DBs Dani Alves Adriano Filipe Luis CB David Luiz Leandro Castan Miranda Dante DM Arouca Ramires Paulinho Hernanes MF Oscar Ronaldinho Forwards Neymar Lucas Hulk Fred Luis Fabiano Also judging by the number of DMs and CBs and the lack of DBs and MFs. his setup will be the same as 2002
This is already being discussed in another thread... https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/seleção-2013-general-discussion.1980922/ And I liked the list.
I like the lineup; beyond switching Ronaldinho with someone like Willian (Shakhtar) or Bernard (Mineiro) and Arouca with Luiz Gustavo or Ralf, seems solid, and I'm not real sure what I'd change. Is Dedé injured? If not, I would bring him instead of either Luiz or Castan. What's your ideal lineup, just out of curiosity?
With Scolari's 2002 system in mind, which seems he'll be using it again. GK Fabio CB Thiago Silva Dede CB/DM Rever DM Paulinho Ramirez WB Dani Alves Marcelo CM I can't decide here, because it would be perfect for Ganso but he is always injured, so Oscar would be the next up. Not Ronaldinho FW Neymar Fred Bench GK - Diego Alves, Fernando Prass CB - Dante CB/DM - David Luiz DM - Hernanes, Ralf, Romulo WB - Adriano, can't really decide on a LWB CM - Oscar/Ganso/Kaka FW - Lucas, Damiao, Hulk
I dont like the list but is the first call up and honestly brasil should be able to beat england with their third string team. Would love to see william and luiz adriano given a chance they've played great for shakstar over three years already and still are being overlooked for the selecao. Maybe a win vs Dortmund will convince everybody william and even adriano should be taken seriously. []__[]
Smart move calling Ronaldinho in order to test what he can possible bring to the table. If nothing worthy of a 2014 squad spot, at last he checked out the card.
I believe Willian is an excellent choice, and Adriano is also very interesting. Shakhtar has some solid NT material for Brazil. But a win over Dortmund is asking a great deal IMO.
I picked dortmund and shakstar to both make the finals, i like both teams a lot. Hate the fact they are facing eachother so early. Two young up and coming teams with no big history nor a big club name on their shirt but both are good teams. Shakstar is every bit as good as dortmund and can easily win and nobody can call it an upset. Both teams are on the same level so is not asking a lot to expect shakstar to win. []__[]
Absolutely, but expecting a win is not going to be easy for either team. But as for no big history, Dortmund has big history, don't know about Shakhtar. They were awesome in the early to late 90s', won the CL a couple times, etc. But I see your point, they're by and large a Phoenix team that emerged from the ashes of severe mismanagement. I think Dortmund has a slight edge, but that's just me, and I could easily see them going out Shakhtar, so fair point.
They also have been better than Dortmund in the CL. 3 years in a row they've made it groups stages, advancing to the quarter finals even after trashing Roma. I don't give this game much thought because CL really only starts around the 1/4 finals.
I disagree. I mean, group stage is serious business for many teams, and for many teams making it there isn't a minor feat. It's like saying the World Cup only begins in the quarters.
What I meant was that only really at the quarter finals you start having games which are not blowouts. Sure for minor teams it's a great thing to make it there, they make tons of money for doing it so. But they just get blown out when they get there.
I dunno. I mean, in many groups the difference between the 2nd and the 3rd team isn't too big. I'd admit though that usually the group loser is far from making it to the round of 16. That said, the group stage has a big, big percentage of matches that are not blowouts. Not to say or no to that, but just saying this now: I never compared the qualities of the group stages, just said that rounds before the last few rounds are serious rounds as well. Like the CL group stage and the WC group stage.
But there are tons of blowouts on the round of 16. At least 2 a year and sometimes more because certain first place teams are so far ahead of the pack.
There aren't "tons", more like few. And anyway, there are very clear wins in World Cup round of 16 as well.
few blowouts is what happens on the WC. And I'm counting 3x0 as a blow out, which to some people might not count as such. 2010 there were 2 -> Ger vs Eng, Ger vs Arg 2006 there was 2 -> Bra vs Ghana, Italy vs Ukraine (both 3 x 0) 2002 there was 1 -> Eng vs Den (3x0) 1998 there was 4 -> Fra vs Bra, Cro vs Ger (3x0) , Bra vs Chile, Den vs Nigeria. Total of 9 if you don't count 3 x 0 - > 4 blowouts So only 4 times 4 goals were scored in a single game by 1 opponents. 4 WC = past 2 years of CL right? same number of games Last year 7 -> Bayern 7 x 0 Basel, Real 4 x 1 CSKA, Chelsea 4 x 1 Napoli, Milan 4 x 0 Arsenal, Arsenal 3 x 0 Milan, Barca 7 x 1 Bayer L, Real 5 x 2 APOEL Year before 6 -> Real 3 x 0 Lyon, Shakhtar 3 x 0 Roma, Real 4 x 0 Tottenham, Barca 5 x 1 Shakhtar, Schalke 5 x 2 Inter, Man U 4 x 1 Schalke. Total of 13 if you don't count 3 x 0 -> 10 Lets see Libertadores for funzies Last year 4 -> U. de Chile 6x0 DQ, DQ 4 x 1 U de Chile, Corinthians 3 x 0 Emelec, Santos 8 x 0 Bolivar -> all on round of 16 Year before 4 -> Libertad 3 x 0 Fluminense, Velez 3 x 0 LDU, Velez 3 x 0 Libertad, Velez 4 x 2 Libertad. Total of 8 if you don't count 3 x 0 -> 4 See why people in South America kind of yawn collectively about the CL group stages and only truly watch when it gets to the semi finals? when it's Bayern vs Real, Man U vs Barca etc.
When it's a two-legged battle, like the CL round of 16, the aggregate score is what matters the most. For example, in the last two seasons, out of 16 aggregates, only in 6 the final score has more than one goal gap. I agree that in WC round of 16, blowouts aren't too usual. I mean, obviously. Well, they're free to yawn collectively all they want. Doesn't change it that the tournament very much starts at the group stage. A lot of this has to do with what sort of teams you find interesting: if only the very best are interesting, then sure, it gets exciting more later. But a lot of people are interesting in other clubs than Barca, ManU etc. Bit like in the World Cup the battle of who gets to be group second to advance is interesting, not only who wins a semifinal and the final.
Ronaldinho is the best playmaking attacking midfielder Brazil have... He knows how to control the game plus he has alot of experience. Watch Brazil beat Spain for Confederation Cup... I guarantee you.
ronaldinho is old, lazy, slow and out of shape, he is not the player he once was and to rely on him to win anything is a mistake []__[]
I have to agree, for Brazil fans to think they're anywhere near ready for Spain is foolish. They didn't even look ready for England. No one's even on Spain's level yet; Spain just crushed Uruguay, the reigning Copa America champions, aka got way freaking farther than Brazil, and curb stomped them 3-1 without Xavi, who is the only key player in the Spanish whose age is going to be above 32. Brazil turned in a truly mediocre performance against England, and this is a trend for Brazil of not doing well against good sides. Against Germany, lost, against France, lost, against Mexico, lost, against Argentina, won and lost, etc. And this trend is also prevalent in Brazil's 2011 Copa campaign and, to a lesser degree, their 2012 Olympics campaign. Name me one true contender for a semifinal spot in WC 2014 Brazil has beat? What's the basis for this hubris surrounding Brazil I have no clue, it is certainly not grounded in any reality I am aware of. Beating up on the likes of Iraq, Egypt, and Japan does not make one a world-class side. And it is not just a matter of not calling up Ronaldinho, Cesare, and Fabiano, it goes deeper than that. I am supremely confident in Spain's ability to send this sorry Brazillian side out of the Confederations Cup and show the world the World Cup hosts' true strength. So confident I am willing to put this entire post on my signature until the end of WC 2014 regardless of the results of Confederations' Cup. It'd be a truly humiliating experience for me if I'm wrong.